Australia’s Newest Global Benchmark: Swinney Wine

In 2018, Swinney released their first wines to instant acclaim. They enlisted Western Australian winemaking legend Rob Mann from Cape Mentelle to lead the winemaking. The debut vintage garnered shock and admiration within the Australian wine scene. Since then, Swinney has continued to build its reputation. Australian wine critic James Halliday has awarded the winery a coveted five-star rating, his highest accolade. Their wines have received impressive 98+ scores from Decanter and the Wine Advocate.

A Wealth of Riches on Our Australian Wine Shelves

Last June, I had the extraordinary opportunity to explore the Australian wine country, searching for the next wave of exceptional wines that deserve a place on the shelves at K&L. I was not only impressed by the quality of the wines I tasted but also surprised by the sheer number of producers crafting exquisite artisanal wines that had never been imported to the United States.

Our Italian Inspiration

Few people are as synonymous with Italian wine as Greg St. Clair, a luminary and veteran of the category, and a standard-bearer for our buying team at K&L. Today, we are taking a moment to congratulate Greg St. Clair on his incredible tenure, wish him the best in retirement, and acknowledge that although he won't be around every day, we look forward to continuing to pop bottles with Greg in the coming years. We will have some exciting news coming in the next few weeks about the new leader for the category, but for now, grazie e congratulazioni, Greg!

Arrivederci to One of the Best in the Biz

Greg St. Clair has been at the heart and soul of our Italian wine program for 28 years. He has excelled at finding us wonderful wines from Italy at great prices, as well as being the greatest ambassador for everything Italy. He’d pour the staff a wine and accompany it with a story about eating nothing but wild boar for a week in Tuscany or climbing a precariously sloped vineyard in Soave, with such vivid details that we it was easy to feel transported to another world—his version of Italy is the best version, the one where your glass is never empty and your stomach always has room for the never-ending parade of mouthwatering food that your dear friends are cooking for you. He is passionate about Italy, and it was hard not to fall in love with it too when he was pouring wine. He embodied the dolce vita and was always there to remind us of the pleasures of the table.

What Would Greg Drink: The Reds

Tuscany holds so many well-known wines and wineries that it is always more of a challenge to bring you something new; but if I cannot do that, then you can’t go wrong with the tried and true! The 2022 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Rosso di Montalcino $22.99 is the perfect introduction to Sangiovese for folks who have not had much of it before. Wines that are 100% Sangiovese can be a bit acidic, but this wine is full of richly textured, sweet, ripe fruit that still shows balance but has a super easy drinkability to it. Priced as a no brainer, grab a couple for the in-laws, they will love it.

What Would Greg Drink: The Whites

Before I head out over the horizon, I would like to share with you my current favorite wines that are currently in stock. It is a rambling, shotgun approach to highlighting wines I really like that you should try. In part one, I dive into some of the wonderful whites of Italy.

What I Have Learned, and I Hope You Can Learn From It

The moment that nearly anyone tastes a wine, there is an immediate reaction—I like this or I do not like this—after that reaction there is rarely anymore learning. Instead of stopping at the point where you’ve deciphered whether you like the wine, one must look for the whys and hows of the wine; where is it going; what you are feeling from it… because if you stop your exploration at the first sip, you’re never going to learn the depths that are available from wine at any level.

Goodbye from One of the Italian Wine Legends

This is the last Italian newsletter that I will write; I am retiring. This is my 28th year at K&L, and it is time for me to move on. I started working at K&L on February 1st, 1997. That seems like such a long time ago! While thinking of that, I remembered reading an article by Malcom Gladwell, quoting a couple of scientists who, after much study, wrote that it took 10,000 hours of detailed focus to master a subject or skill. Curious, I added up my days, and, on my last day—August 29th, 2024—I will have been employed at K&L for 10,071 days. I think I passed the 10,000 hour mark a while ago.

Preserving California’s Old Vine Heritage One Glass at a Time

"If you want to taste California history, you want to chase down these old vines," declares community icon Chris Cottrell of Bedrock Wines. He shared his passion with the K&L NorCal team this week while seated beside some century-old, own-rooted Zinfandel vines at Stampede Vineyard in Lodi, California. Earlier that day, the K&L NorCal team dug their feet into the sandy soil of Contra Costa County's Evangelho Vineyard as well, which was largely planted in the 1890s and still on original, pre-Phylloxera rootstock.

Inimitable Wines of Germany, Austria, and Alsace

Endlessly refreshing, complex, and singular, the wines of Germany, Austria, and Alsace are ones that you just want to spend time with. While some fly under the radar, those who follow them almost always become passionate admirers, and the rewarding prices make it all that much easier to find the next gem. Today we're highlighting the dynamic Rieslings of Austria, celebrating two decades of working with Charles Baur, checking in on our favorite Grüners, revisiting the wonderul wines of Max Ferdinand Richer, and even have a few rarities from FX Pichler.

Strong 2023s from a German Riesling Master: Max Ferdinand Richter

Every year the arrival of the wines of Max Ferdinand Richter are my bellwether for the quality of the upcoming vintage from Germany. Not only are the Richter wines usually the first arrivals from each vintage, but they offer a snapshot of the entire Mosel Valley thanks to their wide range of vineyard sources. Max Ferdinand Richter, in my opinion, qualitatively ranks in the top third of all German wine producers—and, when you factor in their affordability, they end up being one of the best producers on a dollar-for-dollar basis alongside Dr. Loosen, Fritz Haag, and Dönnhoff.

Charles Baur Brings the Best Value in Aromatic Whites from Alsace

K&L has been working with Charles Baur winery directly for over 20 years, and, as impossible as it seems, the wines get better every year. At the helm of Charles Baur winery is Arnaud Baur Jr., who has been in charge for 10+ years. With a history that dates back almost 100 years to 1930, Charles Baur winery is an icon in Alsace. What really separates Charles Bur from other Alsatian wineries is the value of their wines—at a fraction of the price that many other domaines charge, their wines stand toe-to-toe in terms of quality.

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